Young Scooterhas cemented himself as a force to be reckoned with in the rap game, someone who overcame the reality of his environment and turned his obstacles into triumphs. Currently signed to Freebandz, real name Kenneth Bailey is best known for his close friendship with Future, whom they grew up together as kids. 

Exploding onto the scene during the mixtape days back in 2012, Young Scooter made his mark with the release of Street Lottery, which even achieved Gold status on DatPiff. To date, Young Scooter has worked with all the elites, including Gucci Mane, Future, Waka Flocka Flame, Young Thug, Chief Keef, and many more. 

When asked to describe himself, Young Scooter states, “I’m a street artist. I’ve got my own lane of music. It’s hustler music, jugg music. Money-making music.”

Fast forward to today, Young Scooter returns with a string of new releases, including “Trap It Out” and “Hard To Handle” featuring Future. Both hold fans over until the release of his highly-anticipated project titled Streets Krazy, slated to be released in September. The project also serves as his first release since 2020, reeling in all-star features from Future, NoCap, Money Man, Young Nudy, EST Gee, and more.

Read below as we discuss Young Scooter’s relationship with Future, new music, his new project, convos with Young Thug, his love for Kobe Bryant, and more!

AllHipHop: Hip Hop celebrates 50 years this year, what does Hip Hop mean to you?

Young Scooter: Hip Hop means a lot, it’s timeless music. I like Hip Hop. Music is everything. People use music to get through the day. 

AllHipHop: Do you remember the moment you fell in love with Hip Hop?

Young Scooter: I’m not even gon’ say I’m in love with it. I’m not really in love with it,I do five or six other things besides music. Music is just one of them for me.

AllHipHop: What are the five or six other things?

Young Scooter: [laughs] One of them is helping get kids to the next level, like sports. I do motivation and sponsor young athletes.

AllHipHop: You’re not in love with music?!

Young Scooter: I mean I love it, but I’m not in love with it. At the end of the day, you gotta think: it’s all entertainment.

AllHipHop: Do you look at it as a hustle?

Young Scooter: Yeah exactly.

AllHipHop: What was the Young Scooter like growing up in Atlanta?

Young Scooter: There’s a lot of ups and downs. It’s a big city, especially to get your music poppin’. If you get your music poppin’ in Atlanta, you can make it anywhere. Because it’s hard to get somebody to like your music. 

AllHipHop: What gave you the confidence to rap?

Young Scooter: Just how close me and Future is, being right there gave me confidence to make the music. Seeing his success and how that went, we’re from the same neighborhood.

AllHipHop: What was it like seeing his career take off?

Young Scooter: I love it. Because that’s the person I grew up with and I seen it all from day one. Day zero.

AllHipHop: How’d you get your name?

Young Scooter: I don’t really know. [laughs] I know it came from my mama or somebody, but I don’t really know. My name always been Scooter, so I just chose to use it for rap.

AllHipHop: You just dropped “Trap It Out,” what inspired this record?

Young Scooter: The streets really inspired it. The life I had to live inspired it. Shot the video in the hood. Get money and save it.

AllHipHop: Your new single is “Hard to Handle“ featuring Future, talk about the making of that.

It was mainly Future’s idea, and I just went off of him. We were in the studio in Atlanta. You know, we don’t write the music, so everything really be quick. If you’re not a quick punch in artist or not writing your music, you don’t need to work with Future because that’s how it is. We punching in. 

AllHipHop: Are you always with Future when he records?

Young Scooter: Yeah fasho. I’m with him when he records all the time.

AllHipHop: I know he has a crazy recording process, is that inspiring at all?

Young Scooter: Oh yeah fasho. To be real, that’s how I started punching him. Watching him punch in, I’m like damn. I really took notes off that, then punching in.

AllHipHop: What can we expect from “Hard To Handle”?

Young Scooter: Just a lot of energy. A lot of people wanting to make some money. We’re dropping the video too, more some hood vibes. I like it, especially where you come from.

AllHipHop: Talk about linking with EST Gee on “Come Eat With Us.”

Young Scooter: I felt that was a song I really wanted for my own, for my tape. I wanted that to be one of the first songs I wanted to drop, so that’s why I dropped it first. We just linked up, because his music’s moving good in the streets right now too. 

AllHipHop: What can we expect from Streets Krazy?

Young Scooter: I feel like it’s going to be one of my classics. It’s a lot of good songs on Streets Krazy. The features, I gotMoney Man on there. Future, Peewee Longway, EST Gee, Young Nudy, and NoCap.

AllHipHop: NoCap is one of my favorite artists, how’d y’all link?

Young Scooter: I’ve been knowing Cap forever. Cap cool, I like his music too.

AllHipHop: How easy is it for you to hit up your homies and get these features?

Young Scooter: It’s easy for me. I don’t really have no problems with nobody in the hood. You gotta have a good name out here man.

AllHipHop: 3 things you need in the studio at all times?

Young Scooter: Weed, girls, and money. You need money to get in the studio.

AllHipHop: Best encounter with a fan?

Young Scooter: This dude I met one time, before he’ did seven years, he told me listened to my Married To The Streets mixtape. He said “man, it got me through my whole time.” When he got out of jail, he had his people book a private [session]. I thought I had to do a show, but he really wanted to just talk to me. I didn’t even know. I thought I was doing a show, but he really wanted to talk to me with all his family there.

AllHipHop: Have you talked to Young Thug?

Young Scooter: Every day. He’s good, he’s just following the process. It’s just a process at that point.

AllHipHop: Your Instagram pic is Kobe Bryant and Gigi, what is Kobe’s influence on you?

Young Scooter: Man I love Kobe. I ain’t ever going to take it off my Instagram. I had Kobe and Gigi on my Instagram since the day he died, I ain’t ever take it off. Mamba mentality, he’s just one of the GOATS.He played hard, he got a lot of passion and love for the game.

AllHipHop: What’s your biggest passion, if it isn’t music?

Young Scooter: My kids. I got four.

AllHipHop: How’s fatherhood?

Young Scooter: Man, don’t you hear them in the background? They crazy as hell. [laughs] They going crazy in the car.

AllHipHop: Any goals for yourself?

Young Scooter: Yeah, be a billionaire. That’s my only goal.

AllHipHop: What’s it gonna take to get there?

Young Scooter: I’ma figure it out. [laughs]

AllHipHop: Anything else you want to let the people know?

Young Scooter: Streets Krazy on the way man. It’s finna be a classic so pay attention and tune in.